Box construction



June 30, 1953 F. LANGE BOX CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 24, 1950 INVENTOR. Ferdinand Lange BY 34%; WM 64 I I ATTORNEYS Patented June 30, 1953 *rsnr OFFICE BOX CONSTRUCTION Ferdinand Lange, Minden in Westphalia, Ger- :eriany, assignor to Werner Bahl'sen, Hannover,

Germany Application July 24, 195 0, Serial No. 175,597 In Germany September 5, 19%9 This invention'relates to a box. In particular the invention is directed to a box especially adapted for packaging foods which should be protected against loss of moisture and aroma.

This application contains subject matter disclosed in my co-pending application S. N. 175,598, filed July 24, 1950, for Box Construction.

Boxes having bottom and side walls formed of one uncut piece of material are well known, the corners being constructed by triangular pleats which are folded against the side walls. This manner of folding the corners usually leaves but one, and at the most, two thicknesses of material at the corner edge. The lack of adequate corner reinforcement is especially serious when the box is formed of light weight material such as paper or metal foil.

An object of this invention is to construct a box from a single sheet of folded material with folds arranged at the corner edges to form reinforced edges. Another object is to construct a box of paper, metal foil, synthetic plastic material, or materials impregnated with synthetic plastics, having folded reinforced corner edges, and being provided with a stiffening liner. Another object is to construct a lid which can be united with the side walls of the box to form a sealed closure. A further object is to construct a box liner which gives both stiffness to the box, and forms a support for the lid.

These objects are obtained, in general, by employing a rectangular blank of material, and forming each of the corners into at least three pleats. When the box corner is constructed, a single plea-t will be against each inside side wall of the box, while the third pleat will be within the fold of one of the single pleats, Thus, at the corner edge there will be a minimum of three thicknesses of material to strengthen the corner. When five pleats are used, there will be five thicknesses of material at the corner, and so on, an odd number of pleats being preferred in each case. A liner of stiffening material is placed within the box, said liner having a fold line adjacent its upper edge so that after the box is filled with food or the like, the upper margin of the box is bent inwardly on the fold line to form a ledge for supporting a lid. A similar lining material is used for the lid and rests on the ledge. A layer of the box material may be glued to the lid liner material and have an extending margin portion which is united to the upper side walls of the box material to seal the box, or a window covered by transparent material can be formed in the lid. When the box 2 is opened, the margin portion may be cut or torn along three sides, the fourth side then serving as a hinge for the lid.

The means by which the objects of the invention are obtained are described more fully in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure l is a plan view of the box blank;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan View of a corner of the box with the pleats partly folded;

Figure 3 is an enlarged exaggerated plan view of the box with the pleats fully folded;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified blank corner showing five pleats;

Fig 5 is an enlarged exaggerated plan view of a box corner constructed from the blank of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view through an open box;

Figure '7 is a perspective view, partly in seotion, of the box with the lid in place, and before sealing;

Figure 8 is an'enlarged fragmentary view, in section, of the lid sealed in place;

Figure 9 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the box with a modified lid;

Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of still an other modified lid; and

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the lid of Figure 10 hinged to the box.

The box blank of Figure 1, is composed of a bottom panel 2 and four side panels 4, 6, 8 and ill, the blank being adapted to be folded as indicated by the dashed lines. Each corner is divided into six panels separated by fold lines. Panels I2 and i4 form one pleat, panels it and 8 a second, and panels 20 and 22 a third. The fold line between panels It and It has a length equal to the width of side panel 6, or the height of a box side, and the corner of the blank is cut off at right angles to the fold lines between panels I41 and I6, and I8 and 20, respectively, so that all the panels are right angle triangles. Finally, the blank has a peripherally extending margin portion 23 delineated by the fold line 24.

The manner of folding the corners is shown in Figures 2 and 3. As side wall panels 4 and ill, for example, are bent upwardly, corner panels I2 and M are folded into a pleat with panel I2 lying against the inside face of panel 4. Panels l6 and I8 form a pleat lying against the inside face of side panel [0. Panels 20 and 22 fold into a pleat which takes a position within the fold between panels l2 and 14. As all pleats 3 lie inwardly of the box, the exterior of the box presents clean unbroken surface panels, and the corner edge is reinforced by being built up of three thicknesses of material adjacent panel is and five thicknesses of material adjacent panel 4.

In order that the pleat composed of panels l2 and M is large enough to receivethe pleat of panels 20 and 22, and that panels i3 and It will lie snugly against side panel [0, the triangular corner panels may be formed with the following apex angles: panels l2 and M, 15; panels it and I8, 15.5"; and panels 2% and 22, 145,

In Figures 4 and 5 a modified corner is illustrated to show how the number of corner panels can be increased, with a corresponding increase in the reinforcement of the box corner.v Ten panels, a-gi, inclusive, are folded to form five.

pleats. The apex angles of these panels may be" of diiferent sizes as in the form of Figure 1. In the exaggerated view of Figure 5, the completed corner has five layers of material on the side of panel 4, and seven layers of material on the side of panel 5.

After the corners have been formed, a stiilening liner is placed in the box. In Figure 5, the liner is shown composed of two strips of material 26 and 28 laid cross-wise of each other over the bottom of the box, and extending up the respective side walls Of the box, with their upper edges flush with the upper edges of the box sides. The box is adapted to be filled when in this completely opened condition. After being filled, the upper margin portions 39 and 32 of liners 2E and 28-, are bent inwardly and horizontally to form a ledge upon which the lid can rest.

It'may be desirable in certain cases, as in the making of boxes for refrigerated products, to insert a second liner (not shown) in the box. This additional liner can be constructed as described for the blanks of Figures 1 and l, and made of waterproof and/or insulating material.

The lid, Figures '7 and 8, is composed of a piece of liner material 3 covered by a layer of box material 35 extended beyond the material 3 to form a border 38. This border is turned upwardly. Consequently, when the lid is put on the box, border 38 lies against the box side margin 23 and is coextensive therewith. The border and margin are adhesively united, bent over onto the top of the lid, Figure 8, and glued thereto.

When the box is opened, the margin portion is torn off or cut away, thus freeing the lid. If this is done only on three sides, the fourth side can serve as a hinge.

In Figure 9, a modified lid is constructed as the lid in Figure '7, with the addition in that the material 34 is provided with flaps 46 which are folded fiat against the bottom of the lid when the lid is first placed on the box. After the sealing margins 23 and 38 have been cut away, and the lid lifted, the flaps ii! are bent downward and serve to keep the lid in place when it is again lowered onto the box.

In Figure 10, the further modified lid has one of the flanges it permanently folded fiat against the underface of the lid, and provided with integral arms 32. An aperture, or window, is cut in the lid and covered by a sheet of transparent material 44 held in place by arms a2. In Figure 11, the lid is glued to margin 23 which acts as a hinge.

A box constructed as described can be sealed to be substantially damp proof, and. prevent the escape of aromas. The novel corner construction makes a rugged box well adapted to withstand the strains of packing and shipping.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained, I claim:

1. In a container having bottom side and end wall panels, each corner between a side wall panel and the adjacent end wall panel comprising a plurality of an odd number of pleats integral with the material of the side and end wall panels, at least one of said pleats lying folded against a side wall panel and at least one other pleat lying folded against an end wall panel, and another of said odd number of pleats lying inside the fold of one of the pleats folded against one of said Wall panels.

2. In a container as in claim 1, further comprising the panels of a pleat enclosing said an other pleat having apex angles greater than those oi said enclosed pleat.

3. In a container as in claim 2, further comprising a pleat adjoined to one wall panel lying against the adjoined panel and enclosing the pleat adjoined to the other side wall panel, and an intermediate pleat lying folded against said other side wall panel.

4. In a container as in claim 3, each corner further comprising six panels formed into three pleats, and the two center corner panels having apex angles larger than those of the adjacent corner panels.

FERDINAND LANGE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 170,991 Conover Dec. 14, 1875 2,271,265 Kirby Jan. 27, 1942 2,386,062 Roehrl Oct. 2, 1945 

